Thanksgiving 2024 looks set to record a box office record, asMoana 2andWickedlead the way throughout the holiday season.Thanksgiving is typically a strong holiday period for the box officeand represents the last spike before the Christmas season. In previous years, studios have enjoyed successful runs with movies during the November holiday, and hopes will be high this time. The hugely anticipatedWickedBroadway adaptation, along withMoana 2and Universal’sGladiator II, are serving up plenty of excitement for audiences, and the stage is set for a huge Thanksgiving weekend.
PerDeadline, the current box office showing is set to eclipse previous Thanksgiving records, buoyed by the trio of exciting releases. Wednesday was thefirst day of the Thanksgiving stretch and saw the second highest-grossing day of the year to date, with all titles recording $92.2 million. This comes in second only to Friday, July 26, whenDeadpool & Wolverinesoared at the box office to $118.3 million.Moana 2took $57.5 million,Wickedcollected a further $20.4 million, whileGladiator IIcontinued its surge with $6.6 million on Wednesday.
What This Means For The Future Thanksgiving Box Office Run
Black Friday Looks Set To Raise The Bar Even Higher
Even thoughThanksgiving Day is typically expected to be a slow day overall at the box office, tomorrow is Black Friday. This should see a spike in moviegoers, and a record $100 million+ is projected for the day. BothGladiator IIandWickedare heading for their second weekends, but the two blockbusters are expected to have good legs and should continue to enjoy successful stints over the five-day Thanksgiving run.
Wicked Box Office Numbers: Total, Worldwide, Domestic, Opening & Records
Wicked has been an overwhelming success at the worldwide box office, proving that The Wizard of Oz is an undeniably profitable franchise.
Moana 2box officecould cross the $200 million markduring its Wednesday-Sunday run, surpassing the $204.6 million ofThe Super Mario Bros. Movie.Wickedis expected to hit around $236 million by Sunday, making it the most successful movie ever based on a Broadway musical.Gladiator IIcould secure $106.6 million in the same time frame. A strong Black Friday sets up a solid weekend, as the box office enters December in fine fettle. It seems very likely that the current record for a Thanksgiving five-day time-frame of $318 million for all titles, which came in 2018, will be eclipsed.
Our Verdict On The Thanksgiving 2024 Box Office
Records Will Defy Gravity
A record-breaking Thanksgiving run seems inevitable at this point, and the strong openings for all three movies bode well for the rest of the year’s box office. I believe all three movies running together will help to raise the success of each of them, with aBarbenheimer-type phenomenon. It also seems thatWickedandMoana 2will post enormous totals by the time their runs end. The box office looks like it has made a strong post-pandemic recovery, and there is reason for further optimism heading into 2025.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Moana 2
Moana 2 is the sequel to the 2016 animated film Moana. Directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, the film continues the journey of Moana as she embarks on new adventures, exploring the vast Pacific Ocean while encountering new characters and challenges along the way.
Gladiator II
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
